[van-announce] Head Tax Hip Hop @ 10:00am Sunday Sept 10

[Sid Chow Tan]

Yo Folks.

Hope to see you at 10:00am this Sunday at Carnegie Community Centre. 
Apologies fro cross poating and please circulate far and wide. 
Out-of-towners, please let your Saltwater City (Vancouver) family,
friends and allies know. 

We have been moving ahead to build a solid grassroots movement for a just 
and honourable redress for all head tax families. To this end, we will be 
constituting the Head Tax Families Society of Canada as name for the ad hoc 
BC Coalition of Head Tax payers, Spouses and Descendants. 

This will be announced on Sunday as well as further efforts to press 
theHarper government and organise towards the next federal election. 
Following is article from Georgia Straight and Media Advisory. I encourage 
you to freely circulate to your family and friend to draw a younger 
demographics. 

Take care.    anon   Sid
 

Georgia Straight, 31-Aug-2006 

http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=20037

Arts Notes:
Beats for Justice 
By John Lucas 

Hip-hop and politics have always walked hand in hand, so it’s no surprise to 
hear that turntables and break dancing will play a part in an upcoming event 
calling for redress on the issue of the head tax that the Canadian government 
imposed on Chinese immigrants. The tax was levied in 1885 and was not fully 
repealed until 1967. (Correction: should read 1947) 

The current federal government acknowledges that the tax was discriminatory and 
has offered a $20,000 payment to each of the 20 or so surviving head-tax payers 
and the approximately 250 surviving spouses of the deceased payers. Chinese-
Canadian activist groups have argued that this measure doesn’t go far enough, 
and they have demanded compensation for the children of head-tax payers. Among 
these groups is the Vancouver-based B.C. Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses 
and Descendants, which has organized a petition-signing and letter-writing 
event for next Sunday (September 10). That event will feature music from 
instrumental hip-hop group No Luck Club and dancing by Funk in Da’ Attic.

“Our attempt here is to move young people to get involved in this issue of 
justice and honour,” said organizer Sid Chow Tan, who told the Straight that a 
No Luck Club number helped inspire him to try to get youth involved.

“No Luck Club did this tune called ‘Our Story—Chinese Head Tax Mash-Up’. And I 
was quite taken with it,” Tan said. “To me, it sounds more like a five-minute 
radio piece. In fact, I spent all last night laying videos in on it. I work in 
video, so I was getting these 20 years of video that I’ve done in the movement, 
taking video from 20 years ago and mixing it up with rallies and stuff that 
we’ve done today. Basically, what we’re attempting to do is just grow our 
movement to a younger generation. I mean, quite frankly the Stephen Harper 
government has said that’s it for us, and we’ve said, ‘Well, that’s fine. Our 
movement is strong enough that we’ll outlive your government. We’ve outlived 
Trudeau’s government, we’ve outlived Mulroney’s government, Chrétien’s 
government, so we’ll outlive your government too.”

Head Tax Hip Hop for Redress in Saltwater City takes place September 10 at 10 
a.m. at the Carnegie Community Centre (401 Main Street).

--

Media Advisory – August 25, 2006 

Head Tax Hip Hop for Redress in Saltwater City:
no luck club (NLC) and Funk In Da Attic at Carnegie Hall!

Vancouver, BC –  BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants 
invites citizens to a petition signing and letter writing dance party with 
music by no luck club (NLC) and performance by Funk in Da Attic. Colleen Hua, 
president of the Chinese Canadian National Council, will also be in attendance. 
 
Date:  Sunday, September 10, 2006
Time:  10:00am call time – program to begin shortly after
Place: Carnegie Community Centre Main Hall 
       401 Main Street at Hastings, Vancouver

The Conservative government’s unilaterally imposed redress package ignored and 
rejected calls from head tax families for a just and honourable redress.

no luck club (NLC) is an instrumental hip hop group combining turntable improv 
with sample-based rhythms. Founded by the Chan Brothers (Matt & Trevor), 
Vancouver DMC DJ champion Paul Belen (Pluskratch) joined the group in 2004.  

Funk In Da Attic is a local recreational dance troupe with steps to put “move” 
into the redress movement. They are Nicole Chubb, Gary Quon, Cathy Jupista, 
Julie Miller, Ikue Ueno, Megan Hui and Hersie Init.

The BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants are today's 
Canadians on a two decade plus quest for justice and honour for Chinese 
adventurers and pioneers and their families.

- 30 -

 

-- 


  Those who are skilled in combat 
    do not become angered. 


  Those who are skilled at winning 
    do not become afraid. 

  Thus, the wise win before they fight 
    while the ignorant fight to win.   

            Sun Tzu, "The Art of War" 



  Fruit flies like a banana. 
  Time flies like particle waves?
     
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